ARRT RA UNconference: Play With R.A. on April 23rd in Wheaton, IL Plus Resources for ALL

Click the image to register

I am starting the week off with an announcement for people who live within deriving distance of the Chicagoland area. But don't worry, then I will get to resources for everyone.

The Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT) is having an in person, interactive UNconference centered around games. Not gamifying RA but games. Attendees will be playing games that will help them be better at connecting books with readers.

I love this idea and have spoken with on of the organizers. It is going to be a great time. I will be there. If you cab, I suggest you join us.

Click on this link or on the image above to register.

But as promised, I have something for the vast majority of you who cannot make it to Wheaton, IL. Please don't sleep on ARRT's free resources for any and all library workers. Click on this link to explore their website, but specifically, please checkout the following backlist bonanza of resources available all with a few clicks:

• Book Club Study Archive: Featuring notes on book discussions held since 2015. Click on the title to  reveal not only;y notes on the discussion, but also on the leadership discussion topic for that meeting. I am extremely proud of revamping the ARRT Book Discussion program before I left the Steering Committee to make this more like their famous genre studies. The fact that it is still going strong fills me with joy. This is THE place to go to see an example of how a discussion of a particular book went AND to find help for all of the common book club leadership issues and concerns which we all face, often alone.
• Genre Study Archive: The ARRT Genre Study program has been going on for decades but you can access notes going back to 2011. Noe genres change over time and what was "studied" in 2011-12 for Historical Fiction is NOT the same as how that genre functions with today's readers, but it is a great way to see how readers' tastes and preferences have changed over the years and you can find a few backlist gem suggestions.

Poke around on the website for more but these two landing pages are worth spending some of your time on as March comes to a close. 

And if you can make it to Wheaton, IL on Thursday, April 23rd, sign up to come play with RA. They already have my $20. I can't wait. 

RA for All Road Show Hits Chicago's Comic & Entertainment Expo (aka C2E2) and a Link to Signup to Get More Involved with HWA Libraries

I will be at C2E2, Chicago's Comic & Entertainment Expo all day today. First, I want to give a shout out Reed Pop for giving us presenters free tickets. 

Okay now on to my schedule.

I am on two panels. The first is as an author. It is entitled "The Thrill of the Chill: Turning Fear Into a Catalyst for Creativity." The description for the panel from their website:

Fear is no mind-killer. In fact, it may be the very thing that can drive you to the next level - at work, creatively, or in personal relationships. Join our panel of educators, librarians, and scientists as they discuss the way they actively master and weaponize fear in their creative and professional lives. This panel will talk about the nature of both harnessing and conquering fear as it is considered in writing, scientific research, and education and recommend titles for all ages.

We are in Room S402-B from 3:15-4. And then we will all be heading to the Andersons Books (Booth 163) for a signing. After that, I will be on the floor until I head to my second panel.

You can buy my book anytime during C2E2 from Andersons but I will only be on site Friday from about 2pm until 9 or 10 pm (see below's panel). I will sign any books and give you a sticker if you find me anywhere on Friday. You have my picture (below), but I don't have yours, so please, interrupt me. I know there will be many library workers and educators there today. I really don't mind if you stop me at any time, well except when I am actually on a panel, but seriously, I would love to meet you.

I should be with Cynthia Pelayo as we wander, making us a hard to miss duo. Cynthia will also sign any books you bring her. Come find us!

Here is the social media graphic (with alt text) for that panel.

Which leads to my second panel which is part of the C2E2 "After Dark" programming. I am appearing as both an author and a librarian for this one. It is entitled, "The Haunting of Daily Life: How the Real World Shapes Horror Fiction." The description of this panel from their website:

Horror isn't just about monsters, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night-it's rooted in the fears, struggles, and daily realities of ordinary life. From family tensions, social expectations to cultural memory and historic plagues, the genre transforms familiar experiences into unforgettable frights.

This panel explores how creators draw inspiration from real-world history and everyday situations to build stories that resonate, unsettle and reflect the world around us. Join authors, librarians, and horror enthusiasts as they discuss why everything from the mundane to historical events shape modern horror and how recognizing these connections can deepen the understanding of both the genre and ourselves

We are in the same room-- Room S402-B but this one is from 8-8:45pm. And here is the link to our slides.

I have a slide with all the panelist information (with alt text) below as well. I hope to see some of you there.

But before you go, on the final slide for our presentation, I also have a QR code leading to this Google Form:

Get Involved with HWA Libraries!

Are you interested in receiving updates from HWA Libraries or being more actively involved in the work we do? Submit the below form to be added to our mailing list and to be considered for our working groups when positions open up.

Please click this link whether you are attending C2E2 or not. If you are a library worker interested in staying up to date on what is going on int he world of Horror, well theh you NEED to add your name. At the very least you will be added to our HWA Libraries newsletter which will begin this Fall.

The Annual Shelf Care Podcast [via Booklist] Featuring Everything You Need to Know About Summer Scares

After a few days of more serious posts, today I want to focus on one of my favorite annual Summer Scares  resources-- our annual visit to Booklist's Shelf Care Podcast. We have a whole bunch of Sumerm Scares folks, including the announcement of New York Public Library joining our team as an official partner with Summer Scares. WOW!

See the full post here or below, including this link to access the audio.

Finally, click here to access the Summer Scares resource page, where you can find also find Summer Scares 2026 Programming Guide

Booklist's Shelf Care 

Booklist's bookish library podcast

Welcome to Booklist’s Shelf Care, where we bring all things readers’ advisory, collection development, and reference right to your earbuds. Hosted by Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management and Library Outreach, each episode of Shelf Care will introduce you to rock star librarians, hot topics in publishing, and books you need to know from colleagues at Booklist.

Subscribe to Booklist’s Shelf Care on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. 

Listen to the Latest Episode: 

Folks are probably well into planning for summer reading programs, so now is the perfect time to talk about Summer Scares! On this Episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire talks to the folks involved. First, this year’s celebrity spokesperson, author Jennifer McMachon, joins Susan and readers’ advisory and horror expert Becky Spratford to talk about the adult and YA Summer Scares titles, and Jennifer’s journey from misfit girl to capital-H horror writer. Then, Booklist’s Julia Smith talks to Susan about the middle-grade Summer Scares titles. Finally, Susan sits down with HWA Library Committee co-chair Konrad Stump along with New York Public Library’s Allison Nellis and Kate Federiconi to talk about programming and NYPL’s best-of lists.

Here’s what we talked about:

(* indicates a Summer Scares 2026 title)

Readers’ Advisory survey (it’s quick!)

Summer Scares Resource Page (RA for All)

Summer Scares Middle-Grade Panel (March 12)

Summer Scares YA Panel (March 23)

Summer Scares Adult Panel (March 26)

*A Botanical Daughter, by Noah Medlock

*Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

*Maeve Fly, by CJ Leede

iRead Summer Reading 2026: Plant a Seed, Read

*What We Harvest, by Ann Fraistat

*Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, by Linda Cheng

*Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories, edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz, illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz

Stay Buried, by Jennifer McMahon (coming August 2026)

“Monster Girl: How Horror Gave Me a Place to Belong,” by Jennifer McMahon, in Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, edited by Becky Siegel Spratford

*This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko

A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

*It Came from the Trees, by Ally Russell

*Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen, art by the author

The Lion’s Run, by Sarah Pennypacker

Max in the House of Spies, by Adam Gidwitz

Max in the Land of Lies, by Adam Gidwitz

Summer Scares 2026 Programming Guide

NYPL’s Best New Horror for Adults 2025

Dollface, by Lindy Ryan

Headlights, by CJ Leede

Kiss, Slay, Replay, by Rachel Harrison

Japanese Gothic, by Kylie Lee Baker

Abyss, by Nicholas Binge

Thirty-Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape, by Manchán Magan